Picture-hanger.



ser

J. N. RICKLES.

PICTURE HANGER.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE 4,1914.

1 l 54,88?. Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

LLIIIIIII COLUMBIA PLANDURAPH co., WAsHlNuTON, D. c.

. Y of the same,

JASPER NEWTON RICKLES, OF ALTOONA, ALABAMA.

PICTURE-HANGER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, '1915.

Application filed J' une 4, 1914. Serial No. 842,974.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JASPER N. RrcKLEs, a citizen of ,the United States,residing at Altoona, in the county of Etowah and State of Alabama, haveinvented a new and useful Picture-Hanger, of which thefollowing is aspuecification.

The invention relates to improvements in picture hangers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofpicture hangers and to provide a simple, practical, and eflicientdevice, adapted to be readily applied to a picture, and capable ofsecurely suspending the same from a picture molding or a nail,'andequipped with meansY for permitting the picture to be readily adjustedto any angle to enable the same to be arranged in ythe most advantageousposition for displaying it, and also to facilitate cleaning or dustingit and to provide a shelf when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a picture hanger adaptedto support an ornament in position for concealing the attaching andadjusting means, so that the picture hanger will present a highlyornamental appearance.

ith these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claimsappended hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, sizeand minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. 1

Inthe drawing :-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a picture hangerconstructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to apicture. Fig. 2 is a side elevation the picture molding being insection. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the picture shown in Fig. 1,illustrating the manner of attaching the flexible connection to thesame., Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear elevation of the picture hanger, theflexible connection and the ornament being omitted. Fig. 5 is anenlargedcentral vertical sectional view of the same, the front vplate orornament and the flexible connection being shown. Fig. 6 is a transversesectional vview on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Y

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts.k in all thefigures of the drawing. v

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, 1 designates a hanger frame consisting of asingle piece of stout wire or other suitable material bent at anintermediate point to form a bottom approximately U-shaped loop 2 andsubstantially inverted U-shaped side portions 3, forming front and rearupright guides 4 and 5. The bottomloop 2, which is arrangedhorizontally, is composed of spaced sides and a transverse connectingbar orV portion 6, the sides being connected with the front guides 4 byreturn bends 7, arranged in the vertical planes of the sides of thebottom loop and forming supports for the lower ends of the rear guides5. Instead of constructing the hanger frame of a single piece of wire inthe particular manner shown, it may be of any other preferredconstruction, involving the essential features, viz: the front and rearu pright guides and the lower transverse bar or portion.- 1 l j Thehanger frame is equipped at its upper portion with a relatively fixedhanger plate 8, provided near its upper end with an inwardly orrearwardly extending portion 9, adapted to fit against and rest upon apicture molding 10, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing. Theupper end of the plate 8 is provided with` a jaw 11 consisting of aplate or piece provided at the lower edge with projecting teeth 12extending below the portion 9 of the plate 8 and adapted to engage theupper face of the picture molding in rear of the top bead thereof,whereby the hanger frame may be securely hooked on the picture molding.The teeth of the upper aw are adapted to embed themselves in the picturemolding to facilitate a lirm and secure attachmentof the device to thesaid molding. The fixed hanger plate 8 is bent and slightly flanged atits side and top marginal edges to stiffen it, and it is provided atopposite sides of its lower portion with beads 13, which firmly embracethe front guides 4 kof the hanger frame. The beads of the hangerplateare arranged at the crotch formed by the front and rear guides, sothat the weight to which it is subjected will maintain it in properposition.

The rear guides 5 receive a slidable clamping member 14 consisting of aplate bent at the sider edges to form sleeves or beads 15 fio toslidably embrace the rear guides, and provided at the upper edge withprojecting teeth 16, adapted to engage the molding at the bottomthereof,`whereby the molding is firmly gripped between the fixed jaw ofthe hanger plate and the slidable clamping jaw or member 14. Theslidablejaw or clamping member 14 is 'yieldably maintained in engagement withthe picture molding by coiled springs 17 -disposed on the rear guidesand interposed between the clamping plate or jaw 14 and short sleeves 18locatedat the lower ends of the `rear guides and seated upon the returnbends 7. The slidable clamping plate or member 14 is provided with aninverted key hole slot or opening 19, adapted to enable the device to besuspended from'a -nail or similar headed fastening device. The key holeslot or opening 19 consists of a lower enlarged portion and aconstricted upper portion, which is adapted to engage the back of thehead of a nail after the head has been passed through the lower enlargedportion of the opening.

The front guidesv receive a slide20 con striicted of stout sheet metalor other suitable material, and provided at" opposite sides of its upperportion with sleeves or beads 2-1, which slidably embrace the frontguides L ofthe hanger frame. rllhe lower -portion of the slide is bentoutwardly beyondthe plane of the guides l and issplit longitudinally atspaced points kto provide a bifurcated lower portion 22 and a projectingsupporting tongue 23. The sides of the lower'bifurcated portion are bentto vform sleeves or bearings 24;, in which are secured the terminals ofa transverse shaft or Y spindle 25, upon which is-mounted a .Sprocketwheel 26. The sprocket wheel'v 26 is composed of a hub portion andspaced 'series of sprocket teeth 27, forming an i n terveniiig groove 28Aadapted to receive a picture cord to enable either' a Vplain picturecord or a cham 29 to be employed as a ilexi- "ble lconnection forsuspending a `picture 30 from the hanger. The chain, which meshes 'withone of thel sctsof sprocket teeth, is

centrally secured at one end 31 to the picture frame at the top thereof,and its other end is connected with the bottom of the pictui'e'frame bya vwire 32, centrally secured to the chain and extending therefrom tothe side portions of the bottomV of the picture frame, as clearlyillustrated in F ig. 3 of the drawing. 1

The slide Ais yieldably supported in an elevated position by'coiledsprings 33 when it is not subjected to the weight of the Vpicture, whichp is adapted to compress the spring 33 and carry the sprocket, wheelinto engagement with the bottom transverse bar when the picture vislifted Vand the slide relieved of the weight thereof, :the coiledsprings 33 operate to move tlie'slidev upwardly and' carry the sprocketwheel out of engagement with the bottomV transverse portion 6 of thehanger frame. The sprocket wheel is then free` to rotate and the picturemay be adjusted to arrange it at any angle. This will enable the pictureto be mostadvantageously displayed,and also will. facilitate dusting andcleaning the picture, and at the same time, enable the picture to bearranged in a horizontal position, when desired, to form a shelf. Y

No claim is made in the present applica-Y v35 particular means tion tothe 'specific' construction of the sprocket wheel and the for mountingthe same. f l Y l The tongue 23, which is curved outwardly and"downwardly over the upper portion of the sprocket wheel, formsa supportfor a front lplate-34f, riveted or other-` wise secured to theprojecting supporting tongue and adapted to conceal' the hangingpreferably inthe lformof a bird with out-v stretched wings, andas it iscarriedsolel by the slide, it will not interfere with the and adjustingmeans.'v The front plate is relative adjustment of the slide and the phanger frame.

What is claimed is Y n '1. A picture hanger including a hanger framehaving guides, a hanger plate secured to the hanger frame andVprojecting above the same and provided with a fixed toothed jawforhooking over and engaging the picture `molding at the top thereof, a

slidable clamping member mounted on the said lguides and having teeth toengage the picture moldingat the bottom thereof, and' i -spring actuatedmeans for automatically moving thefslidable clamping member intoengagement with the molding.

2. A hanger or holding bracket including a frame having guides, a platesecured to the frame and provided withfa fixed jaw for hooking over vandengaging a molding at one side, a- Vmovable clamping member pro- Y videdat opposite sideswith means for'slidably engaging said guides, saidclamping memberbeing also provided with means for engaging the moldingat theV other side, and

springs disposed on the 'guides-and arranged to urge the clamping memberinwardly toward theiixed jaw.

.3. A ypicture hanger including Ya hanger frame provided with spacedguides, a hanger plate securedto the hanger frame Yand provided withmeans forhooking over and engaging the top of the picture molding, andaclamping member slidable along the guides and provided between the samewith projecting means for engaging beneath the picture molding, saidclamping member being also provided between the guides with a nailreceiving opening.

4. A picture hanger including a hanger frame, a. hanger plate rigidlysecured at its lower portion to the hanger frame and having its upperportion bent rearwardly and shaped to lit a picture molding, and a fixedjaw secured to the plate at the upper end thereof and provided withengaging teeth Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each,by addressing the projecting below the plane of the rearwardly bentportion of the hanger plate, and a slidable clamping member mounted onthe hanger frame and coperating with the hanger plate to grip themolding.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaffixed my signature in the presence oi' two witnesses.

JASPER NEWTON RICKLES.

Witnesses:

H. M. CANNLINS, J. H. ELLISON.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

